USDA makes cooking turkey plain and simple

Families will be offering their gratitude this Thanksgiving to Agriculture Department manager Bessie Berry for turning turkey talk into plain English.

Berry received a "No Gobbledygook" award from Vice President Al Gore this week after re-writing an article that explains how to safely cook and stuff a turkey. This is the fifth monthly award Gore has bestowed on federal employees for making government documents easier to understand.

Berry, director of USDA's meat and poultry hotline, rewrote the article in plain English just in time for the holidays. Thanksgiving chefs can read the article on USDA's Web site or call the hotline at 1-800-535-4555 to hear the instructions.

The article used to read in part:

TURKEY BASICS: STUFFING
Thermometer Essential When Stuffing a Turkey
If stuffing a turkey, use a meat thermometer. Cooking a home-stuffed turkey can be somewhat riskier than cooking one not stuffed. Bacteria can survive in stuffing which has not reached the safe temperature of 165 F, possibly resulting in a foodborne illness. Even if the turkey itself has reached the proper internal temperature of 180 F in the innermost part of the thigh, the stuffing may not have reached a temperature in all parts of the stuffing sufficient to destroy foodborne bacteria. If stuffing does not reach 165 F when the turkey itself is done to 180 F, further cooking will be required. During the added cooking necessary to bring the stuffing up to a safe temperature, the meat may become overcooked.

Berry's new version is more direct:

TURKEY BASICS: STUFFING
Make sure you cook both your turkey and your stuffing completely. If you don't, bacteria that can make you sick may still be alive. Here are the most important things to remember about stuffing:
Cook the stuffing separately -- it's MUCH safer!
If you absolutely have to cook the stuffing in the turkey, use a thermometer to make sure the stuffing reaches a temperature of 165 F and the turkey reaches a temperature of 180 F in the innermost part of the thigh. Measure the temperature of both the turkey and stuffing! Don't just trust a pop-up indicator!